The Promise
by MarieCiel
Summary: A twist on Otonashi's and Yuri's histories; an alternate ending to the anime series "Angel Beats!" Please read, review and enjoy!  Disclaimer: I do not own anything of Angel Beats!, other than the original content of this story.


Muddy, oily water sprayed the calm and innocent evening, kicked up by the rapidly spinning wheels of a passing ambulance. It was a nearly pitch black night, it purity broken only by yellow splashes of road and the spindly fingers of trees, flashing in and out of existence. The sweet silence was shattered by desperate screams from the speeding vehicle, alerting all present- if there had been any others, that is- to its approach.

Inside the ambulance, the siren was muffled and distant-sounding, quiet enough as to not be a bother, however still loud enough to make the meek feel uncomfortable to start conversation.

The driver and the passenger were dressed alike; their clothing identified them as EMS personnel, signaling that it would not be in one's best interest to get in their way. Should the ambulance not have been signal enough, of course.

The passenger was younger than the driver by a margin of about ten years. Something about him made him appear even younger, the passenger; the driver simply held himself in such a way that his silence spoke volumes of his experience. This the passenger clearly noticed, making him appear ever younger, ever more apprehensive.

"Are you sure you're going to be alright on this one?" The driver asked gruffly, not taking his eyes from the road. This statement made his passenger stiffen like a startled cat, his eyes, the color of tangerines, growing to approximately that size. "Oi, at ease, sir!" The driver laughed, bemused. He threw a smile to his companion, who appeared unsure as to how to make his own mouth look like that.

"I know the procedure, if that is what you are asking…" he replied weakly.

"There's more to it than just following procedure, Dr. Yuzuru." Despite using his partner's first name as he always did, almost mocking his inexperience, the driver's voice was grave, the moment's lightheartedness gone from his tone. "That's what I was afraid of, on my first call…" He clarified. His hand flashed away from the steering wheel to adjust his dark bangs, the color of coal, which had begun to fall into his eyes. This was sharply at contrast with his companion, whose light orange hair was meticulously neatly trimmed. "I thought procedure may not work…" he continued. "And it doesn't always work. That's when you fall back on your emergency training, and ultimately, your gut. I'm not worried about you," He assured his passenger, Dr. Yuzuru, who relaxed visibly at this. "Graduated at the top of your class. You're a real natural."

"Thank you, sir…" Yuzuru said sheepishly, nearly blushing at the praise.

"It's true. And you've already gone on a few calls, handling them all well. It's just that…I question the judgment of sending you on this call, so early. You know that we're being sent just in case there survivors." The passenger nodded. "Armed robbery…and possibly murder in the second degree? Not pretty, not pretty…"

Once again the cab fell into silence, the only sound being the ever-present wailing siren.

Arriving at the scene, Yuzuru savagely shoved open his door; above his head the siren began to slow until it finally died out completely. Several police cars stood guard around the house, an ornate and looming mansion. Two of the front windows were smashed, effectively destroying its air of grandeur. It was clear why this building was a target for greedy looters.

Yuzuru approached the front entrance of the building, his partner coming up alongside him. The latter held up his hand, stopping the former from getting any closer. "Let me go in first," he said, and Yuzuru did not argue.

There were several minutes of tense, apprehensive silence, during which the younger doctor stared intensely at the door, as if his orange gaze could bore holes into the aged wood. The door then opened, snapping him out of his reverie.

"You'd better run a second sweep," his partner instructed. "But brace yourself." These words seemed to hang in the air for everyone to see, and all others present seemed silently thankful that they were not standing in Yuzuru's shoes. The young doctor paled, but set his jaw and strode purposefully into the mansion.

Not three steps inside, he froze. His stomach churned like he was going to be sick. The very air did not seem to move.

All of the furniture was upturned, the upholstery ripped to shreds. Vases of many colors lay in nearly unrecognizable pieces, leaving standing water in the carpet. Not far from one of these sat a bouquet of red roses, though still tied together, it was completely flattened and disfigured as if it had been stepped upon. Yuzuru could clearly imagine a happy family scene in this room- the children bouncing on the couch or playing board games on the floor; the father reclining in the easy chair, talking about work or telling dumb jokes to make the children roll their eyes; the mother carefully arranging the flowers and chatting away about her day… it was all so perfectly clear. But it was not the destruction that made this scene so nightmarish- it was the walls.

Thrown across the cheerful yellow wallpaper in an abstract spray was a vast amount of pure crimson. It covered all four walls. It dripped, ran in long lines down to pool in the carpet, drying in ugly splotches on the walls.

"Oh dear God…" Yuzuru's voice raised several octaves. His knees began to buckle.

"Hey, hey!" His partner caught his shoulder in a firm grip. "I already checked that out. It's faked- a thinned paint, just used as a scare tactic."

The words spun around Yuzuru's head, barely registering. Something else, however, did catch the young doctor's attention. There was a steady sound, like a heartbeat, coming from up above.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

The pair of medics exchanged glances, words unspoken but completely understood. Yuzuru dashed up the stairs first, turning a corner to look down a long hallway lined with identical doors. The source of the sound was nearby, but it was impossible to tell where.

He looked down every room, each one empty, several untouched. One of the last doors at the far end of the hallway led to a small clothes closet. The thumping had ceased, but Yuzuru was sure that this was the source.

He threw open the door.

-.

"Yurippe!" The voice made the girl flinch, shivering as if she had been struck. The sheets of her bed were in complete disarray, wrinkled and thrown all about the room- the aftermath of a night's worth of anger and frustration. The girl stared at her hands, trembling in fear before her own eyes. "Oi, Yurippe! Time to get up!" Again the words slapped her face, and a small sob escaped through her lips. A fist pounded the door impatiently.

The girl lay upon her stripped bed, curled up with her back facing the door as if shielding herself from the outside world. Her hair, the color of raspberries and happy summer memories, spread in a tangled halo of insanity about her gentle-featured face. Sea green eyes overflowed, staining her cheeks with tears that refused to dry.

Still the girl shivered, her arms wrapped about her stomach as if she were trying to comfort herself. The click of an opening door suddenly threw light onto her broken form, and again she sobbed quietly, miserably.

"Yurippe! Yurippe, what's wrong? Yurippe!" A pair of hands was shaking her shoulders, desperately trying to get a response. "Yurippe, Yurippe!" The voice repeated again and again. Still the girl did not respond. Her name was meaningless.

"Don't look at me…" Her voice shook violently with sobs. "Don't!" She wrenched her shoulder away, and the hands left her alone. "Don't look…at me…" A fearful whisper.

"Yurippe," The voice came again, kindly and gently, no longer striking her but comforting her. "Please tell me what is wrong."

Yuri slowly turned, her eyes impossibly wide with fear. "A-ah…" She stuttered timidly. "Hi-hina…"

The image of a young man leaning over her slowly focused, still blurred at the edges by tears. His tousled blue hair framed his kind, easygoing face; his bottomless azure eyes filled to the brim with concern. Hinata.

"Hi-Hinata…?" She was finally able to choke out, and her friend nodded slowly in affirmation.

"Yes, that's right," He said carefully, his lips curving into a hesitant smile. "Hinata, that's right."

Yuri turned over onto her back, then, with much hesitation, placed her cheek onto Hinata's bent knee. Hinata smoothed her hair over before speaking.

"Now will you tell me what's wrong? This is rather strange. Not just this morning, either…recently you've been acting quite strange."

This was _Yuri. _Yuri was always _strong. _She never showed weakness; she was the one that others would come to for comfort, for strength and support. But now, somewhere deep in her green eyes, that unyielding strength had the support ripped out from under it, leaving the girl to collapse without it.

"I-it's not fair…" She blubbered like a small child. "Not fair!" She repeated, more strongly, a mix of anger and despair.

"What isn't?" Hinata whispered, gently, as if speaking to his own child.

"Not fair…" His words did not seem to have reached her. After a moment, she took a shaky breath. "I don't…I can't control…I don't have control over anything…"

"That is up to fate," Her friend replied. "There are only some things that we humans have control of. And you," He directed his words down to Yuri. "You are a very strong girl. You can control your future, you know." It was barely a whisper.

"Th-this…Hinata…" Yuri's eyes began to become wet again. "I want to…I want to disappear…"

These words seemed to hold stationary in the air for several seconds before fading away into oblivion.

Hinata chose his words carefully. "You know how?"

"I know," Her words were becoming clearer, however her cheeks still glistened. "But it's never going to happen! I just know it won't!" The words lashed out, angry and bitter.

Hinata did not respond. Yuri continued despite this, "It's like it's already been decided." Her jaw tightened visibly. "Hinata?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think that…even after you disappear…it's possible to see people that you know…later on? Wherever that might be?"

"It must be possible," Hinata smiled, his eyes looking somewhere distant, looking into memory. "_I_ made a promise, after all. I intend to keep it."

"Do you think I'll get a second chance, then?"

Hinata blinked. "Is _that_ what it is, hmm?" He read his friend easily; they were very close, as if they were siblings.

"That's what it is. I just know I can't have it. I just know I'll end up staying here forever!" She lamented.

"I'm sorry, Yuri. I understand now. I'm so sorry."

Yuri's response was to turn her face and hide it from sight.

"That must be…it is painful, isn't it? I know. Perhaps the next time, you will get a second chance. But I believe…it's not too late now."

"It's…not?" Her voice had a quality of almost childish hope.

"Not too late at all. Don't worry." He patted her back gently and slid away from the bed.

"Thank you, Hinata…" Yuri murmured. "I need you at times like this."

"Always doing my best to be a good friend." He said airily, placing his hand on the doorknob. "We'd better get going, or people will begin to worry."

"You're right…" Yuri's voice seemed almost disembodied with her arms hiding her face. "Just give me…a few more minutes…"

Hinata nodded, understanding, and took his leave.

"Attention! Is everyone present and accounted for?" The commanding voice echoed from the doorway, making everyone snap to attention, as requested. During the following silence, Yuri stepped carefully between the small gathering of people, holding her head high and proud, all evidence of the early morning's episode hidden entirely from sight. As she reached her desk, she turned gracefully, her teal eyes narrowing to suspicious slits. "Where are the rest of the members?" She demanded.

"They've…moved on." Hinata, of all people, responded hesitantly. The leader's eye flicked between him and two others in particular. She saw Otonashi and Kanade exchange a thinly veiled triumphant smile. Annoyance exploded in her chest and shot straight to her head.

"Otonashi!" She singled him out, and he turned to face her direction, the smile fading into a look of bewilderment. "Next time it would be greatly appreciated if you reported directly to me, rather than have me figure out who's gone in the morning after. Understood?"

"Yes." He responded tonelessly,

What he had done was not entirely objectionable- Yuri knew that he was only trying to help the others move on. Still, she felt betrayed, belittled almost; he had not told her. Instead he waited for the information to trickle down to her, all the while grinning like a schoolyard prankster at Kanade.

In fact, at that moment, he didn't even seem to notice how much this had affected her.

"We're having a break today, do whatever you like." She waved her hand; she just wanted them all to go away. A few smiled brightly, happy with the concept of having no immediate work to do. Others mumbled to each other, then to Yuri, thanking her, and sauntered from the room. Finally, with some hesitation, Hinata was the last to leave, his concern with another out-of-character occurrence written all over his passive smile.

Yuri was alone, just how she wanted it.

_How many more will disappear today?_ She wondered. And how long would it be until she was the only one left, cursed with a wish that could never be fulfilled?

_I should have tried harder,_ she chastised herself internally. _Then things wouldn't be in the big mess they're in now._ Maybe if she had tried harder, she could have saved her family.

Maybe if she had tried harder, she would still be alive.

A sharp knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. She was in no mood for further discussion. "Leave me alone! Go away!" she cried, hoping desperately that her words would banish whatever was on the other side of that door.

"Yuri?" It was not a voice she had expected.

"K-kanade?" She asked, unsure. "What do you want?"

"Can I come in for a minute?"

Kanade took Yuri's stunned silence as a yes and entered. She was alone. For several moments they only stared at each other. Then Kanade broke the silence, "I wanted to tell you something.

"I've had enough time here, and I've already said what I've wanted to say to the others. But I still wanted to tell you, Yuri…I wanted to thank you.

"I always wanted a friend." Kanade smiled, suddenly appearing much younger- the only child looking for a playmate at the park. Her golden eyes sparkled with a lively light. "And because that was my wish…I thought I'd be here forever." Yuri was aware that her own words echoed in Kanade's voice.

"Nothing is impossible…" Yuri whispered in a daze.

"Nothing." Kanade affirmed. "I wanted to tell you that you've made me very happy, Yuri-chan. I wish we could spend more time together, but my time is up now."

"Kanade!" Yuri cried in disbelief. "No! Don't say that! You must stay!"

"I've said all I've wanted to say." The angel gently closed her eyes, at peace.

"But," The girl scrambled for words that would convince Kanade to stay. "What about Otonashi?"  
"What about him?" She asked dreamily.

"Don't you- you and he-? He will miss you! He'll be so upset!"

"He will understand." She said simply. A sigh made her body shiver. "He will probably be difficult in the coming days. He will have trouble dealing with this, I believe. He has trouble dealing with his feelings. But someday…he will know what he must say.

"Don't fret, Yuri," Kanade said, her words soft and kind. "In the end, everyone will be happy. I hope they will be as content as I am."

"Kanade, don't go! We need you! Otonashi needs you! I need you-!"

She was alone, desperately reaching out and grasping at only air.

Her hands dropped to her sides, useless. Tears clouded her vision but she could not muster the strength to sob. Her lips parted slightly, still wanting to speak to Kanade, words her friend would never hear.

Another knock sounded but Yuri was too numb to respond. The entity outside hesitated before finally opening the door.

"Hey, Yuri, have you seen Kanade?"

Yuri's only response was a pitiful hiccup.

Otonashi started to speak, but the words died away as he fully assessed the situation. Realization crossing his face quickly exploded into anger.

"She's gone, isn't she?" A muffled whisper. "She's gone, gone!" As it grew in intensity, the words became angrier, sharper, hacking Yuri to pieces.

"What did you do, Yuri?" Even her own name became a hostile sound. "Tell me!" He demanded. "Why did she go?"

Yuri whimpered, trembling with a chill only she could feel. "Go away…" she muttered. In a matter of seconds, she was screaming. "Go away! Leave me alone! Get out!" In her hysteria, she grabbed a paperweight from her desk and hurled it at Otonashi. He obeyed her command, ducking behind the door.

All words blurred together until she was wailing indistinguishably, lobbing projectiles at the door. Pens, pencils, the stapler, the tape dispenser- all failed to make a dent in her enemy's defenses. A wad of papers she threw exploded from her hand into individual sheets, spreading and scattering, transforming the office into a madman's snow globe.

In the midst of the chaos, Yuri fell to her knees. With her anger gone, she was left with only despair. Her dreams and her happiness crumbled into pieces before her eyes.

Evening wrapped a dark shroud around the school grounds, placing a comforting blanket around Yuri's shoulders. When the sun set, she didn't feel so bad about wanting to be alone.

The hollow shell of the leader sat with her back to the wall in one of the many narrow hallways of the school. Her wish was shot to pieces, its remains lying at her feet. She felt desolate, inconsolable. The conscious part of her hoped that if she sat still long enough, she would fall into limbo and never have to feel again.

"Hey," A hesitant voice drifted in, rebounding off of Yuri's cold, hunched form. This voice she tuned out entirely.

"Yuri." Even her name did not warrant a response. Her name was repeated several times to no effect.

"I wanted to…to apologize. I know that never really solves anything, but please, just humor me for a bit."

Yuri's eyes slid just above her knees, giving a green, deadly stare to her least favorite person at that moment.

Otonashi mimicked her, sitting and bringing his knees up to his chest. "First, Yuri, I'm sorry for how I acted earlier today. I was just…startled. Surprised. Kanade was like a little sister to me, Yuri." He kept saying her name, afraid that he would lose her attention otherwise. "So you had every right to be angry, Yuri. I had no right."

"Where is Hinata?" Yuri's voice was inhumanly emotionless.

"He is…I do not know where he is." He did not have the heart to tell her that her beloved friend had disappeared. He did not have the heart to tell her that they were now alone.

"Yuri…do you want to disappear? Is that it?" Yuri's eyes became wide with surprise, but she quickly hid it. Otonashi caught this in an instant.

"I want to disappear too, but…I'm afraid." He confided.

"Why?" She found herself asking without meaning to.

"Because I don't know where I'll go, once I disappear. When I was alive, there was something I wasn't able to do…something I deeply regret. What I truly wish is that…I could do it over again, do it differently. But I'm afraid that once I disappear, I won't be able to do that.

"How could I know? How could I know that when Kanade disappeared, she didn't just go- poof!- into nonexistence?" He threw up his arms in exasperation. "To be content, I guess…I guess I need that second chance. I couldn't have that second chance here."

There was a brief uncomfortable silence and the two avoided each other's eyes. Finally it was Yuri who broke it. "I have an impossible wish. Something that couldn't happen."

"No wishes are impossible," Otonashi leaned a little closer, his tone comforting. "I can help you, Yuri. I'll help you with your wish. Can you tell me what it is?" He coaxed her gently. "I'll tell you mine." He offered.

Yuri shivered. "Tell me yours…" she whimpered. "Second chance…?

Otonashi inhaled gradually as if clearing his mind. "When I was alive," he began slowly, "I worked as a doctor on an emergency response team. On only my third call, it was from the police. A house had been robbed by a group of armed men- it was assumed that everyone had been killed. But I was called to look for survivors and help them, if I could."

"When I came inside, the place was a wreck. Everything was destroyed. But the worst part was…the walls. They were covered in blood." His eyes were distant, looking into his own nightmarish memory. Yuri seemed enthralled with the story.

"But before we left, I heard a sound coming from the upper floor. It was steady, like this," He tapped his fingers on the ground, mimicking the thumping sound. He swallowed hard; the story was difficult to tell.

"I told the other emergency responder that I would check upstairs.

"There were a bunch of doors in a long hallway. I couldn't tell where the sound was coming from, so I started checking all of the rooms. One of the last doors was a little closet." A choking noise sprang from his throat. "By then, the sound had stopped. Still I opened the door, and…" He bit his lip, trying to keep his face from contorting into a mask of horror and grief. "There was a young girl in there, her hands were all tied up…her legs were bound so she couldn't walk…she must have pounded her feet against the door to call for help, because she was gagged…her clothes were t-torn up…sh-she had cuts and slashes all over her body…she had died from blood loss! Because I had taken too long to get to her!" He cried in despair. "And I know that if I got a second chance, I could save her!

"The entire time I've been here, I've seen her, I've seen that girl. She didn't seem to be bothered by it. Maybe she didn't even know what happened."

Yuri sat completely still, stunned into silence. She had no idea what had truly occurred, what horrors were still locked in Otonashi's memory. That same scene…that same nightmare haunted her mind as well.

"Otonashi…" She barely breathed. "My home…my family…that girl…"

"I didn't know if you remembered…" Otonashi said, his words heavy with grief. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry I failed you. I'm sorry I…I just let you…"

At once, he felt…warm. A pair of arms wrapped about his shoulders, warm breath misted his collarbone. He did not know how to respond, so he placed his hands on her back and rocked her back and forth. "Yuri…" He murmured, no words coming to describe how he felt.

"Yuzuru…" Yuri whispered, her voice distorted and muffled by Otonashi's shirt. "Could I really get my wish?"

"Whatever your wish is, I will give it to you."

"But…now I'm scared, Yuzuru! I want my wish to come true, but then I'll be gone! I don't know if I will ever see you again!"

"You will," he vowed. "When I get my wish, you'll see me then. And then we can be happy. We can be together."

Yuri swallowed, nearly choking on her fear. She pulled away, looking up into Otonashi's tangerine eyes. "I love you!" She cried out.

Otonashi smiled and gently kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Yuri." He held her tightly, willing her to stay in his arms for just a few more precious moments. "Don't worry, I'll see you again. I promise!"

"Promise…" Yuri lifted her hand, though she could not see it- she was nearly blinded with tears of mixed happiness and anxiety, the world reducing to blurred splotches of color. She extended her pinky finger.

The world blurred into oblivion. At the last moment, Yuri felt Otonashi's finger wrap around her own, and for the first time in many days, her countenance was graced with a beautiful smile.

A wind swept through the corridors of the school. It paused to surround the couple, bit it found the hallway to be empty.

-?

With a kind of heroic, reckless burst of courage, the young doctor ripped open the closet door and scooped the form inside into his arms. He felt his suit become sickly warm; the smell of blood and pain choked his senses.

The girl in his arms weakly opened her eyes, only to teal slits. Her hair framed her face in a tangled halo of insanity. It was the color of raspberries and happy summer memories.

Dr. Yuzuru's heavy boots pounded the ancient staircase furiously, his breaths coming in panicked gasps. With every passing second he could feel the girl's life flooding from her inert body. Time was slipping away rapidly.

"A survivor?" His partner called out in disbelief as Dr. Yuzuru reached the landing. His nod of confirmation was not even necessary- it was apparent from his grim determination that he held this girl's life in his hands.

The back doors of the ambulance were opened; wide white arms accepted the girl into its sanctuary. "Stay here," The senior medic barked. "Monitor her vitals!" He dove into the cab at the front, the engine roaring to life at his command.

Dr. Yuzuru placed an oxygen mask over the girl's mouth and nose, then began to work his way up her fallen form, bandaging her cuts to stop the flow of blood. Once he had taken care of the largest and most critical cuts, he moved to the smaller ones. When he reached her hands, he was struck with a sudden sensation, a strangely familiar feeling. He smiled warmly, despite feeling tears burning at the corners of his eyes.

He leaned over, his lips brushing the girl's cheek. "See?" He whispered into her ear even though he was quite sure she could not hear him. "I saved you."

Before he could move his hand away, something caught it, something warm and gentle. Dr. Yuzuru tried to pull it away, but the grip was surprisingly steady.

He felt Yuri's pinky finger curl around his own.

*~FIN~*


End file.
